US lawmakers take steps for political solution to Yemen conflict

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (APP):The US House of Representatives on Monday adopted a resolution that calls for a political solution to the conflict in Yemen, after some lawmakers sought vote to end US’ military involvement in the tiny Gulf country.
Some lawmakers from both the Democratic Party and the ruling Republican Party had joined hands to push for a vote on a resolution to end the US’ military involvement in the war against the Houthis in Yemen.

However, the House in turn adopted a measure to call for a political solution as a compromise to the bipartisan group’s effort to seek an end to the US military involvement. The resolution was adopted by 366 and opposed by 30 lawmakers.

The resolution denounced the targeting of civilian populations in Yemen and calls on all parties involved to “increase efforts to adopt all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent civilian casualties and increase humanitarian access.”

In addition to calling for an end to the violence in Yemen, the resolution noted that Congress has not enacted specific laws that allow use of military forces against entities in the Yemen conflict that are not already subjected to congressional authorization for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the online The Hill magazine reported.

“This resolution makes abundantly clear that we cannot be assisting the Saudi regime in any of its fight with the Houthi regime. And we have to limit our involvement in Yemen to take on al-Qaeda and to take on the terrorists that threaten the United States,” the report said quoting a lawmaker during the debate.

The Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital Sana’a in 2015 by dislodging the government recognized internationally. Since then, the Saudi-backed military forces have been trying in vain to push the Houthis out.

The resolution passed by the House noted that the US has engaged in intelligence cooperation and provided assistance to Saudi-led multinational coalition planes conducting bombings against the Houthi rebel movement.

However, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) stressed that the US military is only providing assistance to Yemen and is not actively engaged in fighting. At least 10,000 Yemeni civilians, according to the UN estimates, have died in the war during the past two years.